Switch plate for electrical switches



Oct. 9, 1951 1.. NEWMAN SWITCH PLATE FOR ELECTRICAL SWITCHES Filed Oct.22, 1949 FIG-.4.

LEWlS NEWMAN IN VEN'I'OR.

FIG.6

Patented Oct. 9, 1951 SWITCH PLATE FOR ELECTRICAL SWITCHES Lewis Newman,Harrison, J assignor to The .Daven Company, Newark, N. J a corporationof New Jersey Application October 22, 1949, Serial No. 122,979 7 Claims.(01; 200-166) This invention relates to switch plates or panels used inelectrical transmission control and, more particularly to suchelementsadaptable for use in various types of transducers employed in theelectrical communications field.

Heretofore it has been the practice, in constructing switch plates ofattenuators, potentiometers and various other analogous instruments toattach the contacts to the insulation carrying body by riveting, byupset sleeves or variconnecting the wire terminals to the contacts.

With these and other objects in View, as may appear from theaccompanying specification, the invention consists of various featuresof construction and combination of parts, which will be first describedin connection with the accompanying drawings, showing a switch plate forelectrical switches of a preferred form embodying the invention, and thefeatures forming the invention will be specifically pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan of a switch plate made in accordancewith the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top plan of a modified form of the invention. V v

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary top plan of still another modified form of theinvention.

Figure 7 is a cross section taken on the line 11 of Figure 6.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the improved switch plateshown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, of the drawings includes a carryingplate I which is formed of any suitable insulating material which has anarcuate contact 2 and a plurality of individual contacts 3 formedthereon by electro-chemical or electrolytic plating. Any of the approvedmethods of electrolytically depositing the metal of the contacts uponthe insulation carrying body i, such as that disclosed in prior Patent1,563,731, issued December 1, 1925, may be employed. By so depositingthe metal of the contacts upon the carrying plate I of insulation arelatively thin layer of the metal may be deposited, and since the metalso used is usually a relatively precious metal cost of production of theswitch plate may thus be materially reduced, not only by reducing theamount of metal used for the contacts but also by greatly reducing theamount of labor required for connecting the contacts to the carryingplate of insulation.

The contacts 3 are provided with recesses 4 extending inwardly thereintofrom one side thereof and the carrying plate or body I is provided withradial grooves 5 cut therein, the inner ends of which extend directlybelow the recesses 4 formed in the contacts 3. In Figures 1 to 3 of thedrawings the outer ends of the grooves 5 terminate at the openings 6which extend transversely through the carrying plate I. As clearly shownin Figure 2 of the drawings, the openings 6 increase in cross sectionalarea from their points of communication with the grooves 5 to theiropposite ends. This increase in cross sectional area is provided withangling the inner walls 1 of the openings. The openings 6 are so made tofacilitate the insertion therethrough of the connecting wires 8. Theconnecting wires 8 have transversely extending portions 9 which fit inthe grooves 5 and extend into the portion of the grooves directlybeneath the recesses 4. The connecting wires 8 are soldered to thecontacts 3 by a deposit of solder shown at H] in Figure 2 of thedrawings. The deposit H] of solder is flattened or smoothed so that its.outer surface lies flush with or substantially flush with the outersurfaces of the contacts 3, and the solder filling the recesses 4 andcontacting the wires 8 form firm electrical conducting connectionbetween the wires 8 and the contacts 3. If it is so desired, the angularsections 9 of the wires 8 may be flattened as shown in Figure 3 of thedrawings so as to present flat upper surfaces outwardly, or they may beleft round and the grooves 5 cut sufficiently deep to prevent the angledsections 9 from projecting beyond the face of the plate I.

In the modified form shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the constructionof the switch plates is identical, excepting only that the grooves 5'extend all the way out to the edge H of the plate I of insulation.

In the modified form shown in Figures 6 and '7 of the drawings, the onlydifference in the construction between that shown and described inFigures 1 to 3 of the drawings is that the openings which extendtransversely through the plate Ia of insulation are in the form of slotsl2 which extend radially from the outer ends of the grooves 511 to theedge I l of the plate Ia.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thespecific construction or arrangement of parts shown, but that they maybe widely modified within the invention defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts electrolytically deposited onsaid carrying plate, certain of said contacts having recesses extendingthereinto from one edge thereof, said carrying plate having groovestherein corresponding to and extending beneath the recesses of therecessed contacts, and connection wires in said grooves extending intothe grooves below said recesses and soldered to said contacts.

2. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts on said carrying plate, certainof said contacts having recesses extending thereinto from one edgethereof, said carrying plate having grooves therein corresponding to andextending beneath the recesses of said recessed contacts, and connectionwires insaid grooves extending beneath said recesses and soldered tosaid contact, said carrying plate'having transverse openingstherethrough communicating with said grooves, and said connecting wiresextending through said transverse openings.

3. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts on said carrying plate, certainof said contacts having recesses extending thereinto from one edgethereof, said carrying plate having grooves therein corresponding to andextending beneath the recesses of said recessed contacts, and connectionwires in said grooves extending beneath said recesses and soldered tosaid contacts, said carrying plate having transverse openingstherethrough communicating with said grooves, and said connecting wiresextending through said transverse openings, the portions of saidconnecting wires lying in said grooves having their outermost portionssubstantially flush with the face of said contact carrying plate.

4. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts on said carrying plate, certainof said contacts having recesses extending thereinto from one edgethereof, said carrying plate having grooves therein corresponding to andextending beneath the recesses of said recessed contacts, and connectionwires in said grooves extending beneath said recesses and soldered tosaid contact, said carrying plate having transverse openingstherethrough communicating with said grooves, and said connecting wiresextending through said transverse openings, said Jransverse openingsgradually increasing in cross sectional area from their points ofcommunication with said grooves to their opposite ends.

5. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts electrolytically deposited onsaid carrying plate, certain of said contacts having recesses extendingthereinto from one edge thereof, said carrying plate having groovestherein corresponding to and extending beneath the recesses oftherecessed contacts and connection wires in said grooves extending intothe grooves below said recesses and soldered to said contacts, saidcontact carrying plate having transverse openings extending therethroughand communicating with said grooves, said connecting wires extendingthrough said transverse openings, the portions of said connecting wireslying in said grooves having their outermost portions substantiallyflush with the adjacent flat surface of said'contact carrying plate, thesolder forming the soldered joint between said contacts and wires beingflattened on the outer surfaces and flush with the outer surfaces of thecontacts.

6. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts electrolytically deposited onsaid carrying plate, certain of said contacts having recesses extendingthereinto from one edge thereof, said carrying plate having groovestherein corresponding to and extending beneath the recesses of therecessed contacts, and connection wires in said grooves extending intothe grooves below said recesses and soldered to said'contacts, saidcarrying plate having trans'verse'slots cut therethrough communicatingwith the grooves and opening out through the edge of said carryingplate, said connecting wires extending through said slots.

'7. In an electrical switch, an insulation contact carrying plate, aplurality of individual metal contacts electrolytically deposited onsaid carrying plate, certain of said contacts having recesses extendingthereinto from one edge thereof, said carrying plate having groovestherein corresponding to and extending beneath the recesses of therecessed contacts, and connection wires in said grooves extending intothe grooves below said recesses and soldered to said contacts, saidcarrying plate having transverse slots cut therethrough communicatingwith the grooves and opening out through the edge of said carryingplate, said connecting wires extending through said slots, saidtransverse slots having their inner walls inclined whereby the slotsgradually increase in cross sectional area from their points ofcommunication with said grooves to their opposite ends.

LEWIS NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

